Control device for breather type storage tanks



Nov. 8, 1938. .1. H. WIGGINS CONTROL DEVICE FOR BREATHER TYPE STORAGETANKS Filed March 3, 1937 I N YEN TOR: J H. W/GGINS ATTORNEY MKWPatented Nov. i t

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONTROL DEVICE FOR BREATHER TYPE STORAGETANKS John H. Wiggins, Chicago, Ill. Application March 3, 1937, SerialNo. 128,717

8 Claims. ('01. 220-85) This invention relates to storage tanks of thebeing created therein during the operation of breather type that areused to hold gases and withdrawing or discharging the material orsubvolatile liquids, and particularly to the control stance confined inthe tank. The valve C may devices used in such structures for ventingthe be mounted directly on a collar 2 that surrounds tank to prevent anabnormal or dangerous presa hole in the root B, but I prefer to combinesaid 5 sure from being created therein, and/or to admit valve with aflame arrester D through which esair to the tank to prevent a dangerousminus caplng gases travel before entering the valve pressure fromdeveloping in the tank." C. Any suitable type or kind of flame arresterOne .object of my invention is to provide a may be p y h O erein il ustated e- ".l control device of the general character above ing ofconventional construction and being atmentioned that is inexpensive toconstruct, easy tached to a cover plate 3 on the collar 2 carried toinstall and in which the coacting parts are by the roof B of the tank.The valve C is mountof novel construction and arrangement. ed on theupper end of said flamearrester and Another object of my invention is toprovide hence the flame arrester constitutes a passagea volume controlvalve or a combined volume way for gases that are caused to escape from15 control and vacuum vent valve for breather type the tank to vent thesame, and it also constitutes storage tanks which is of such design thatit can a passageway for air that is admitted to the be easily combinedwith a conventional flame tank to prevent a dangerous minus pressurefrom arrester without modifying or changing the conbeing created.

struction of the flame arrester. Preferably the valve C comprises a bodyor 20 And still another-object of my invention is to casing 4 whoseinterior constitutes a gas champrovide a control device of the generaltype bereX that is always in direct communication mentioned, thatcomprises a single flame arwith the gas space of the tank through thepasrester arranged between the tank and a gas sageway formed by theflame arrester D, and

g5 chamber to which air is admitted by a vacuum said gas chamber X isprovided at its upper end vent valve, and from which gases arepermitwith a gas outlet 5 that is arranged in ofiset reted to escape byopening a volume control valve lationship with the hole 6 in the bottomof said that is actuated or unseated by the movement chamber throughwhich the gases enter from of the roof of the tank. the flame arresterD. Said gas outlet 5 is con- Figure 1 of the drawing is a fragmentaryvertrolled by a vent valve 1 herein illustrated as tical, transversesectional view of a breather type consisting of a horizontally sp dpalate rstorage tank equipped with a control device conranged inside ofthe gas chamber X and adaptstructed in accordance with my presentinvened to cooperate with a valve seat 8. Air is adtion, and Figure 2 isan enlarged view of said mitted to the gas'chamber, X by one or more 33control device partly in elevation and partly in automatic vacuum ventvalves of any preferred 35 vertical section. In the drawing, Adesignates construction, designated as an entirety by the a storage tankthat may be used for holding reference character E, said vacuum ventvalve E gases or volatile liquids, and B designates a being equippedwith an air inlet valve (not breather type roof for said tank, which isof shown) that opens automatically and permits H such construction andarrangement that it is air to flow into the gas chamber X and thencecapable of flexing upwardly from the position through the flame arresterD into the tank A shown in Figure 1 so as to increase the volume whenthe internal pressure of said tank drops of the gas space of the tank.When the roof B to a certain approximate degree.

is in the position shown in Figure 1, it is 11 The volume control valve1 of the valve C is 43 tained by beams I that may be supported in anyormal y he d against its e t 8 y a p g 9 5 preferred manner. and a valveoperating rod I0 is provided for The tank A is equipped with a novelcontrol moving th valve 1 n opposition to the p n device hereinillustrated as consisting of a com- 9. As shown in Figu 2, the ValveOperating bined volume control and vacuum vent valve C rod in isarranged in a vertically disposed tubu- 30 mounted on the roof B andhaving provision for lar member ll whose upper end is attached topermitting gases to escape automatically from the bottom portion of thegas chamber X and the tank A when the roof flexes upwardly to a whoselower end portion is attached to the plate certain approximate positionand having pro- B on which the flame arrester is'mounted, the vision forpermitting air to enter the tank A so passageway II for the valveoperating rod Ill as to prevent an abnormal minus pressure from beingprovided at its upper end with a flame lli sealing device I! of anypreferred kind that will prevent a flame from passing downwardly throughthe valve rod passageway ll into the tank A. The rod I0 is attached atits upper end to the volume control valve or vent valve 1 and at thelower end of said rod is a depending link l3 which carries a trippingblock H (see Figure 1) which is so constructed and arranged that at acertain point in the upward movement of the roof B said tripping blockwill come in contact with one of the roof supporting beams I, with theresult that if the roof continues to move upwardly, the rod III willremain at rest and thus cause the control valve I to open or beunseated. In order to protect the gas outlet passageway 5 from theelements, a weather hood or shield I4 is mounted on the top side of thevalve C, said hood being constructed so that it also serves as a housingfor the spring 9 which normally holds the valve 1 seated.

In a control device of the construction above described, there is onepassageway for the incoming air and outgoing gases, and there is aseparate passageway for the pull rod ID that actuates the volume controlvalve 1. Consequently, it is possible to provide the device with asingle flame arrester that coacts with the vacuum vent valve and thevolume control valve associated with the gas chamber, Another advantageof such a control device is that a flame arrester can be easily combinedwith the same without the necessity of making any changes in the flamearrester, due, of course, to the fact that the operating device whicheffects the unseating of the valve 1 is arranged in a passagewayentirely separate and distinct, and at one side of the flame arresterthrough which the gases escape from the tank. In addition to thedesirable features above mentioned, my improved valve C is inexpensiveto construct, it is easy to install and it is of sufflciently ruggeddesign to insure its functioning properly when the roof B of the tankmoves upwardly and downwardly in the normal operation of the tank.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A control device for storage tanks used to hold gases and volatileliquids, comprising a valve body having a gas chamber provided with aninlet through which gases enter said chamber from the tank, a vent valvefor said chamber, and an operating device for said vent valve arrangedout of the direct path of travel of the gases that enter said gaschamber from the tank.

2. The combination of a storage tank provided with a vertically movableroof, a valve body on said roof having a gas chamber equipped with aninlet for gases which escape from the tank, a vent valve for said gaschamber, and an actuating device for said valve adapted to be operatedby the movement of said roof and arranged out of the direct path oftravel of the gases that escape from the tank into said gas chamber.

3. A control device for storage tanks which are used to hold gases orvolatile liquids, comprising a vent valve, a flame arrester arrangedbetween the tank and the body of said vent valve so as to form apassageway for gases that escape from the tank or for air that isadmitted to the tank, and an operating device for said vent valvearranged entirely on the exterior of the flame arrester.

4. A control device for storage tanks, consisting of a valve body on theroof of the tank provided with a gas inlet and a gas outlet, said gasinlet communicating with the interior of the tank, a vent valve thatnormally closes said gas outlet, and an operating device for said ventvalve arranged at one side of said gas inlet and provided with a portionthat projects outwardly through a flame sealed opening in the casing ofsaid valve.

5. A control device for storage tanks, comprising a flame arrestermounted on the roof of the tank so as to form a passageway for gasesthat escape from the tank, a valve body on said flame arrester having agas chamber provided with a gas outlet, a vent valve for said outletthat is normally seated, and an.operating device for said vent valveprojecting outwardly through a flame sealed opening in said valve bodyand arranged outside of said flame arrester.

6. The combination of a storage tank provided with a breather type roof,a flame arrester mounted on the roof of said tank in alignment with ahole in said roof through which gases escape from the tank and throughwhich air is admitted to the tank, a combined pressure relief and vacuumvent valve mounted on said flame arrester, and an operating device for aventing element of said valve arranged entirely on the exterior of saidflame arrester and provided with a portion inside of the tank thatcauses said venting element to function when the roof of the tankreaches a certain approximate position during upward flexing of same,

7. The combination of a storage tank provided with a breather type roof,at flame arrester mounted on said roof in alignment with an opening inthe roof so as to form a passageway through which gases can escape fromthe tank and through which air can be admitted to the tank, a valve bodyhaving a gas chamber that communicates with the main passageway of saidflame arrester, an automatic vacuum vent valve for said gas chamber, apressure relief valve for said gas chamber, an operating device for saidpressure relief valve, and a passageway for said operating devicearranged entirely on the exterior of said flame arrester.

8. A storage apparatus provided with a movable part whose position isadapted to change to vary the volume ofthe gas space of the apparatus, acontrol device carried by said movable part and provided with a chamber,a. main passageway leading from said chamber/ to said gas space, a ventvalve for said chamber, an actuating device for said vent valve adaptedto be operated by the movement of the said movable part of theapparatus, and a passageway for said actuating device separate anddistinct from said main passageway.

JOHN H. WIGGINS.

